


Triangles

by wesleyfanfiction_archivist



Category: Angel: the Series
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-01-04
Updated: 2007-01-18
Packaged: 2018-07-12 07:54:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7093261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wesleyfanfiction_archivist/pseuds/wesleyfanfiction_archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Wesley and Fred's marriage is not as happy as you think it would be</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Triangles

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Versaphile, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [WesleyFanfiction.net](http://fanlore.org/wiki/WesleyFanFiction.Net). Deciding that it needed to have a more long-term home, I began importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in February 2016. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact the e-mail address on [WesleyFanfiction.net collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/wesleyfanfiction/profile).

***

Wesley rolled off Faith sweating. He lay panting beside her, sprawled across her second hand double bed.

Faith sat up, dragging the nubby flannel sheet, faded worn blankets, from the foot of the bed, with trembling hands. Holy shit, that had been intense. Way to go ex-watcher. 

“Third time was definitely the charm there Wes, I think the Earth moved.”

It was a cold January morning. As she spoke, her breath was indoor white mist.

“Well like me, you were stuck in California long enough. You must have sufficient earthquake experience to judge.” Wesley kissed her bare shoulder. He got reluctantly out of bed.

Faith wrapped a gray blanket around her, while Wesley went and showered in her microscopic mildewed bathroom. She rose, walking over to her kitchen unit across the room of her tiny London bedsit. She drank a glass of water thirstily.

Wesley had left his wallet on her table. She rummaged through it, looking for a spare fifty pence coin, to power her gas heater that warmed her dwelling. She found two coins. A photo of Fred.

She dropped the coins in the heater’s coin slot. Returning to the battered table to scrutinize Fred's 2D glossy image.

Wesley came out of the bathroom, a threadbare towel wrapped around his waist.

Faith held the picture up to him. “In lotsa ways she’s an older skinner version of me huh? So following the Alanis Morisette line of reasoning here. Is Fred perverted like me and would she go down on you in theater? I guess not. Or you wouldn’ta been having this transatlantic affair with me for the past six months.”

“Leave Fred out of it Faith.” Wes warned, putting on his socks. “You went into this relationship with your eyes wide open.” And it was a relationship damn it, how had this ever bloody happened?

“Hey I’m not fussed.” Faith purred, she got up and put coffee on. “I see you for one week every month. Suits me fine. I’m not the one cheating even, so I’m morally on top.”

“You were underneath, when you nearly perforated my eardrums with your scream of release earlier. I think you’re getting sub in your old age.” Wes pulled on his jeans.

“Must be. You know I’m twenty fucking six, turned it on fourteenth of December. Slayer death time Wes. The seconds are ticking away for me.” Faith mused. “You didn’t get me a birthday present you asshole.”

“Actually I did.” Wes reached into his suit case to retrieve two gift wrapped presents. “One for your birthday, one for Christmas.” He tossed them over to her.”

“Well you’re a double asshole now. Because I didn’t get you a Christmas present. I didn’t realize we did the seasonal gift thing with each other.” Faith unwrapped her presents. Perfume ‘Poison’. A sterling silver charm bracelet, with miniature landmarks of Boston tinkling from it.

“Eastern seaboard sweet Wes!” Faith gasped, mildy astonished and hugely touched. “Where didja get it?”

“Antique shop in Greenwich village. I thought it was a suitable present to give one’s mistress.” Wesley gathered all his possessions together.

“If I’m your mistress, I would feel no freaking shame if you set me up in a love nest better than this dump.” Faith poured them both coffees.

“Can’t afford it sorry darling.” Wes surveyed the unwashed dishes, clothes on the floor, empty wine bottles stacked in a corner and overflowing ash tray on the table. “Besides, the squalor suits you.”

Faith flipped him the bird. Wesley gulped down his coffee. Fully dressed, he hugged her goodbye. He truly cared for her. But he could never leave his wife. A gentleman wouldn't do that. A good man would not have the thought cross his mind in the first place.

“Try and stay alive until next first week of February Faith. I’ll take you out to dinner again at the weirdest foreign restaurant we can discover, if you do.” Wesley picked up his suitcase and walked over to the doorway.

“Huh, you stay alive? I’ll go down on you in a theater, after you’ve gone down on me of course lover.” Faith snickered, following him over to the doorway.

“I’ll take you up on it.” Wesley kissed her quickly. “See you in February.” He left to hail a taxi in the main street below.

“Have a good flight, don’t forget to remove that metal belt buckle! Ya know what happened last time, when you went through security!” Faith called after him.

She shut the door. Wrapping the blanket around her more securely. Baby Jesus, she didn’t know who was more deficient, her or him. Gas to the flame.

 

***

Fred scurried up from under the black satin sheets, cheeks flushed, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. She had a twinkle in her shining eyes.

“You swallow cupcake?” Her bed partner said amazed, reclining on the red velvet headboard of his king sized bed. Fred was the kind of lover who would do a hell of lot, he had voluptuously experienced this week. He’d always been in love with her from afar. He never dreamed she could be such a wild cat in bed.

“My Momma always told me to eat my greens.” Fred chuckled with smutty glee. She started to giggle uncontrollably, at the shocked expression on Lorne’s face. “Was I too icky?”

“Not in the least Fredcakes. You are a constant delightful surprise package.” Lorne looked at the time on his cell phone. “You have to scoot sweetie, you’ll miss your leaving on a jet plane.”

“Trying to get rid of me Lorne sugar? After my surprise good bye trick?” Fred wailed jokingly. She jumped out of bed hurriedly, her feet sinking into the thick shag pile carpet. She raced into the double headed shower in the imperial jade tiled bathroom. 

Lorne joined her. “You gave off signals loud and clear, you needed your gorgeous smooth back scrubbed.”

“I’d like a caboodle more than that, but like ya said, I’m running out of time.” Fred quickly lathered her body with scented soap, then rinsed. She jumped out of the shower energetically. Drying herself vigorously, with one of Lorne’s fluffy Egyptian cotton towels.

Lorne stepped out of the shower, putting on a luxuriant purple dressing gown.

Fred threw her scattered assorted toiletries frenziedly into a plastic bag. She ran out of the bathroom. Into the opulently furnished hotel suite.

Throwing the plastic bag into her suitcase, she pulled on her panties, hopping on one foot as she extended one slender leg into her jeans. 

“Don’t overbalance sweet thing.” Lorne put out his hand to steady her. “How would you explain the sprained ankle?”

“Herding my Daddy’s steers. That was how I pulled my hamstring last November doncha know?” Fred reproached herself inwardly, for her lousy untruths to poor innocent trusting Wesley.

“And I thought it was when we were making whoopee on the parquet. Parallel worlds taking place obviously. The one we’re in right now, where I’m in love with you and you love me back, is a crowd stopping number of a planet. That you won’t leave your spouse for me, is a newly discovered hell dimension.” Lorne helped her into her jacket. He pressed her close to him, enabling his plunder of the sweetness of her mouth, one more heady time.

Fred pushed him sadly away. “I can’t miss my airplane, you hold onto ya good loving until you come across to me in New York in February.”

“I’ll be counting the days pumpkin. Marking off the calendar with gold stars and red love hearts.” Lorne picked up her suitcase and passed it to her. “You look after yourself, if you can’t be good be careful. Hey and watch out for Agonic demons, I’ve heard on the demonic grapevine, a tribe of them have moved into the New York sewers.”

“See ya February, my handsome demon.” Fred raced out the hotel suite door, her suitcase swinging beside her.

Lorne gazed longingly after Fred’s disappearing back, as the elevator doors closed on her. Off to catch a cab on the main Vegas strip. 

He never thought when he arrived in this dimension, he’d be the third party in a married human’s love triangle. With two people who were his old friends. Just thinking about it made Lorne decide to fix himself a Martini.

***

Wesley entered his apartment. The crossing smells of old books and dogs battled for supremacy.

His two Irish wolfhounds loped over to him. Wagging their tails joyfully. Wes patted them fondly. It was nice they at least in the household, had got to their feet and greeted him.

“Hey Wes.” Fred smiled up at him, reclining on the tasteful brown leather living room couch. She put down the book she was reading. Raising her face, so he could peck her hello on the lips, as he passed her to put his suitcase away.

He came out of their bedroom, showered, shaved and changed. Fred was putting down the telephone receiver. “I ordered Thai, no. 34 for you right, same as always? That’s what’ve ya ordered for the last two years we’ve been here. Ya probably causing an extinction in daffy ducks by golly.” 

“That’s the one dear. Green curry duckling.” Wes sat on the opposite couch wearily, rubbing his eyes. “Did you embark on a Mexican food frenzy at your parents ranch this week?”

“Burrito bonanza. How were your parents?” Fred was looking at her short little fingernail, frowning reflectively. 

“Keeping well, they say hello. Yours?” Wesley shifted uncomfortably on the couch, he had healing scratches on his back.

“Great, they send their love and kisses, well Mom does. Dad sends a manly handshake.” Fred polished her reading glasses. “So what’s new at the New Watchers Council? They still all happy, happy, joy, joy and bonusly content with the way we’re running things on the East Coast?”

“Yes delighted. Very impressed with how you discovered an Atlantis artifact at Christmas time.” Wesley got up and stretched his legs.

He noticed Fred had taken down their Christmas cards. Piling them neatly on top of newspapers and magazines to be recycled. He flicked through them. “Odd, we didn’t get a card from Lorne this year. Didn’t you say you ran into him with your parents, in Las Vegas in November? He’s back in cabaret?”

“Must notta passed on our address. I can’t remember where he lives offa the top of my head.” Fred lied, playing with the heavy gold pendant around her neck. Her Christmas present from Lorne. Darn, she forgot to put the Christmas card up that came with it. The whoppers upon ugly whoppers, Fred was drowning in like quicksand.

“Shame to lose touch.” Wesley put the cards down.

“Ooh, that reminds me Wes, Rona was asking today. She needs somewhere to stay in rainy old London this month. How’s Faith?” Fred took out a brush and began to groom a dog.

“Alright I think. I only ever see her really to say a brief hello to. I pass her in the corridor at the slayer training school sometimes.” Wesley picked up another brush to demat the other dog’s fur. Wesley was an utter bastard, he cringed to himself in self disgust.

Fred kept up her rhythmic brushing. “It’s was the right thing to do leaving Wolfram and Hart, to take up jobs here with the New Watchers Council.”

“Because you feel definitely on the side of good now?” She was always an angel of light. He was the fallen one.

“I was getting kinda bored with L.A. phoniness.” Fred couldn’t believe she’d just said that, when she was deceiving her sweet reliable, if boring husband like she was. But Wesley loved her, she couldn’t hurt him by leaving him. He needed her. He was such a good man. What ever slight dark side he had, drawn him to Lilah Morgan was obviously long gone. 

Whereas Fred was being so very morally crummy. She loved Lorne so darned much. She was like that song ‘torn between two lovers’. She always damn was. It resembled the same stinking situation, when she’d been in love with Charles and attracted to Wes. There was something so gosh darn wrong with her pysche.

The door bell rang, the couple collected their take out.

After dinner, Wesley went to bed. Fred joined him. They turned down the good quality cotton sheets on their bed. The plain green quilt atop, a homely touch to their bedroom décor. Fred placed the Aztec pattern tapestry cushions that decorated it, tidily on a side couch in front of the window.

“Where did you get that pendant from?” Wesley asked Fred, as she pulled it off her neck, carefully placing it in her jewelry box.

“This old thing? Heck, had it for years.” Fred slid into bed beside him. Wesley was wearing his t-shirt and dark blue pajama bottoms as was his wont. Fred was wearing her pink brushed satin winter nightie. Half the time these days, they didn’t bother to take their night clothes off when they made love.

Wesley kissed Fred’s mouth in an exploratory fashion, judging her mood. So often she was too tired. Or not up for it. He didn't know if she still loved him sometimes.

Fred switched off the light. She didn’t want Wesley to spot the hickeys Lorne had left down her inner thigh.

“More romantic.” Fred breathed in Wesley’s ear. “Bright lights kinda make me feel like I’m in a porno. Fred does Manhattan.”

The couple made love by the numbers once more. Five minutes foreplay. Fred got on top, Wesley helped her climax (once) with his hand, he came himself. 

Fred went to the bathroom, stumbled in the dark back to bed, snuggling in beside a drifting off to sleep Wesley.

Wesley sleepily ran his hands through his wife’s dark hair. “I love you Fred. I miss you when I’m away.” 

“I love you too Wes.” Fred hugged him tightly. “Good night sweetie.”


	2. 2/3

Location: London UK

They were standing arguing in her bed sit. Wesley had recently received earth shattering information.

“Well how the bloody hell did that happen Faith?” Wes slammed his glass of wine down on the table. This was never part of the unspoken deal.

“You were there Wes! You were the one boning me against the wall, outside the pub in Brixton, without putting on a rubber first. I didn’t get knocked up through immaculate fucking conception. It was my own special needs fault for not stopping you in the first place, I know lover. Always have to live in the moment that’s me.” Faith refilled her glass of wine and lit a cigarette.

She sneered at his disapproving glance. “Relax, I’m having an abortion tomorrow. Okay? I only told you, because I need someone to stay with me for twenty four hours afterwards. Lie, tell Giles you have stomach flu. You’re an expert at lying Wes, you’ve been lying to the little missus about us for half a year after all.”

“Do you really want to go through with an abortion?” Wesley doubted it. He didn’t want her to in any case. He had never wanted to be a parent. What if he turned out to be a cunt like his father? Fred had been keen to embrace motherhood. Wesley had come around to the idea. It had turned out Fred was one of those unfortunate women whose bodies treated all sperm as hostile and had their antibodies attack them. 

What a fucking mess this had all turned into. Play with fire get burned.

“What other choice do I have? Are you going to leave Fred for me? No, didn’t think so.” Faith said bitterly, misreading the expression on his face. “Forget it, I’ll ask Kennedy to go the clinic with me tomorrow.”

“No.” Wesley walked over to her and drew her into his arms. “I’m tired of living a lie Faith. I’m telling Fred the truth when I return to New York next week. I love you, god how I’ve grown to love you Faith. I’m coming back to you and we’ll be together. How we always should have been, right from the start of our affair.”

Faith looked at him with dawning hope. “You mean that don’t you? Shit Wes. I love you too. For so long now. I was thinking of going to a warlock, getting a brain suck, to stop feeling this lame way about you.”

“Well there’s no need to go those extreme measures anymore.” Wes stroked her hair tenderly, as she rested her head on his shoulder. “We can be happy darling. I think we both deserve to be finally happy.”

Location: New York

“Are you alright cupcake?” Lorne peered concerned through the bathroom doorway, as Fred threw up in the toilet. He gently kicked the inquisitive dogs out of the way.

“I must have a twenty four hour virus. I almost fainted at the airport last night picking you up. It’s why I made you drive back here, remember?” Fred got shakily up. “Yuck.” She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. 

“I’m taking you to a quack today kitten.” Lorne walked into the bathroom and rubbed her back. “No arguments.”

“Oh you old fuss pot.” Fred brushed her teeth. “Okey doke, but it would have been more a heck of a lot more fun going to the Metropolitan Museum together like we planned instead.”

****

Lorne sat in the car with the dogs, waiting anxiously for her. He saw Fred cross the road. She was crying.

She staggered over to the car. A truck driver honked angrily at her, when she crossed blindly in front of him. Missing being hit by him by seconds.

Fred fumbled at the car door handle. Collapsing into the front seat. Sobbing uncontrollably.

“What did the doctor say?” Lorne passed her a tissue from a box on the floor. “What’s wrong with you Fred?” Did she have cancer? Please powers that be, not that.

“I’m pregnant.” Fred was sobbing with joy. “It has to be yours because you’re a demon.” His sperm was obviously different.

“So seeing the kid will be a whiter shade of pea green.” Lorne felt a broad grin threaten to split his face apart. “I take it you’ll be setting up permanent abode with me in Las Vegas?”

“Yes, yes!” Fred showered his face with frantic kisses. “We’re gonna be parents! We’re gonna live happily ever after.” Happily ever after she told Wesley the bad news. God, that was going to be hard.

****  
7 days later  
****

 

Wesley reached the ground floor of his apartment building. He pressed the button for his floor on the elevator. He was about to be the worst kind of heel. However his and Fred’s marriage had been grinding along in misery the past year. Perhaps it would give her a sense of freedom, Fred was better off without him definitely. He had never deserved someone like her in the first place.

His cell phone rang. Wesley checked it automatically. Why was Giles ringing him from London? What apocalypse was happening now?

“Hello.”

“Wesley, its Giles here. I have very bad news I’m afraid, it concerns Faith.”

“What about Faith?” Wesley felt his heart pound. A sick feeling churned his guts. He knew Giles suspected they were having an affair. But it didn’t sound as if Wesley was going to be hauled over bureaucratic coals about it. Why would he be? He and Faith were both consenting adults. Whatever this call was about, was going to be unspeakably, unthinkably worse.

“I’m sorry Wesley. She was rooting out a vampire nest this afternoon with the girls. She seemed to be unwell lately, maybe that was why she was off her game… She's gone missing Wesley, we think she's been turned. You needed to be warned.”

Upstairs in her apartment, Fred was clutching her stomach in pain. No, no. It felt like period cramps. No. It wasn’t fair, no.

A newsflash on TV surreally caught Fred’s attention. A journalist wearing an expression of professional grief was standing on the tarmac of McCarran Airport in Las Vegas.

“Shocking breaking news from Las Vegas tonight. It seems flight 341 American Airlines from New York, has crashed on the McCarran Airport runway, there are no survivors. We repeat no survivors.”


	3. 3/3

*****

Location: Manhattan Island New York

Wesley let himself into his apartment building’s elevator. The week from hell finished at last for him. Workwise at least.

For Fred would be upstairs, sitting on the chair by the window, staring silently outside. Not speaking, not eating.

A miscarriage, how could a miracle been gifted to them by the gods like that, and then just as suddenly been pulled out from under them? Not that Wesley knew about Fred’s pregnancy, until entering his apartment shell shocked at hearing the news about Faith, he ended up having to drive a distraught Fred to hospital. 

The next day they received the sad news about Lorne being killed in a plane crash. It never rained but it poured. Enough misery rained down on Wesley this month to sink a battleship. 

No word on Faith’s whereabouts brightened Wesley’s despair. Faith more than likely, now existed as a vampire, seeing how her corpse never revealed itself to the searchers of the area Faith was last sighted in.

Leaden footed, Wesley walked down the passageway to his apartment door. He unlocked the door and stepped into Hell.

A tableau of death met his eyes. The two wolfhounds sprawled on the tasteful Persian carpet, their throats ripped out, dead after a long period of torture by the looks of it. Fred on the leather couch, eyes staring sightlessly to the ceiling.

“I was gonna hold on to you got here.” Faith came out of the kitchen, wiping the blood off her hands with a tea towel. “But I got real hungry and kinda excited I admit by kicking the dogs ribs in. So I started dinner without you.” She put on a fake English accent. Mocking him. “Bloody rude of me I know, do excuse me Wesley old sport.”

Wesley could only watch frozen in horror, as the animated corpse of the girl he loved drew nearer to him.

“You didn’t warn wifey about me being a vamp didja? Still trying to keep me your dirty little secret?” Faith sighed disappointedly. “No matter. I didn’t turn her. I’ve had enough of being in a freaking triangle. It rocked telling her all about us. Stick insect cried, it made me get off like you wouldn’t believe, that and slapping her around some too.”

“The baby?” Wesley choked.

“Huh, you mean the bunch of fetal cells, that were gonna wreck my figure? They’re long expelled Wes. I’m dead lover, I can’t sustain life.” Faith put her arms around his neck. Her hands were the cold of the grave. “I can only take it.”

“I’m sorry Faith.” Wesley meant it most sincerely. “I couldn’t save you.”

“But we’re gonna be together forever now baby. Eternity. I don’t even wanna delay the process, by torturing you the remaining three ways I missed out on six years ago. I love you Wesley. I have for so long.” Faiths features changed, she sank her fangs into his neck.

“I love you too Faith.” Wesley whispered back. He pulled the automatic out of his coat pocket and blew his brains out.

****

“You say you love me in your sleep?” Faith chuckled, and shook him harder. “That’s so romantic dude. I’m gonna need a sick bag 24/7 being in New York with you, not just in the mornings.”

“Faith!” Wesley sat upright on his couch in the winter afternoon sunshine. Thank god it had been a dream. “Oh Christ, Faith.” He hugged her warm breathing body. “I dreamed you’d been turned, back in London.”

“What, when I actually had something to live for, for once? No way. I had to escape.” Faith put her scarred wrists from vampire bites against his face reassuringly. “No, you’re just gonna have to get used to me and Junior whatever its going to turn out to be, stuck in ya life for good.”

“I can cope.” Wesley spotted three cardboard boxes in the corner of their new loft apartment. “Lorne drop off the rest of my things? Fred wouldn’t be up to that, would she?”

“No, she’s still on permanent bed rest, so Lorne packed the gear up for you. We had a good laugh about the pair of you. Kidding! He dropped the stuff off and left.” Faith snuggled into Wesley’s arms and lay back on the couch with him. Showing up on his doorstep with a suitcase two days ago, turned out to be one of the best decisions she ever made to date.

****

Fred cleared away her embroidery from the bed covers, Lorne placed the tray of sandwiches carefully in front of her.

“You cut them into star shapes for me!” Fred squealed delightedly. “You are a green angel Lorne.”

“You need to eat up sweet thing.” Lorne handed her orange juice. His unexpected upgrade to an earlier flight, causing him to not be on the plane that crashed, a blessed miracle. As had Fred’s threatened miscarriage holding off. With complete bed rest for the next two months, Fred hopefully would be able to sustain the pregnancy. It looked like twins.

The dogs dozed at the foot of the bed contentedly.

“Any regrets Fredkins, about mailing off the papers to divorce Wesley?” Lorne enquired, brushing a wisp of her hair back from her forehead.

“Shucks no, as my fellow Texan Dr Phil rightly said, ‘The only thing sadder than staying in a bad marriage for a year, is staying in a bad marriage for a year and a day.’” Fred sipped her orange juice. “Why heck, if I’d remain married to Wesley, I’d be better off dead.”

THE END


End file.
